Deterioration
by The Astronomer Brony
Summary: When Ladybug gets hit by Cataclysm in battle, Tikki did the only thing she could to save Marinette's life and redirects its impact to her mind. How will Marinette cope with her slow decent into insanity? How will Adrien cope with the guilt he feels? And how will either of them continue with their normal lives after this?
1. Chapter 1

"Ladybug, watch out!" Chat called to her. She spun around and dodged to her left, narrowly evading the swish of a blade. The Akuma grumbled and cursed. This Akuma was different. The poor man who was trapped inside had been a sword teacher. He had gotten run out of buisiness by another shop that had opened, who claimed that swords were 'old news'. Sadily, that meant that this Akuma had a big freaking sword as their weapon. Ladybug skipped backwards and stood beside Chat. The two were facing off against the Akuma. Ladybug leaned over.

"I'll circle around back. I want you to destroy his sword, and I'll grab the Akuma while it's trying to escape"

Chat nodded and stepped forward, whistling and twirling his baton. Ladybug slowly began to make her way behind the Akuma, moving carefully. He swung his sword forward and Chat dodged. Narrowly. Ladybug gasped, but only his tail had gotten caught in the attack. He held up the piece of black fabric and stared at it.

"This is a cat-astrophe!" he cried, turning to stare at his own rear. He then turned his glare to the behemoth before him.

"You're paying for that!" he called, lunging forward. "Cataclysm!" he cried, feeling the power surging through his arm. The Akuma laughed and rolled quickly-quicker than either of them thought possible- out of the way. Both Ladybug and Chat realized too late what was happening. Chat was launched at Ladybug with Cataclysm fully active in his hand. Time seemed to slow and he saw the absolute panic in Ladybugs eyes. His hand touched flesh. Ladybug screamed. The two tumbled together, hitting the ground. Chat was up instantly, checking Ladybug over for wounds. She had three large cuts in the middle of her chest, oozing blood. He watched in horror as the wounds began to stitch themselves up, leaving just scars. He hadn't known they could do that.

"C-Chat..." Ladybug whispered. He got the signal and grabbed her, rolling the both of them just as the giant sword came down where they had been, sticking firmly in the stone.

"Stay with me, LB. I just need you to be able to get the Akuma after I release it"

She nodded and he leaped forward, stabbing his staff into the swords metal before there was a chance of it to be released. The sword blew apart as a small purple butterfly flapped away desperately. The red yo-yo flew weakly, but did its job and caught the thing. A white butterfly flew off, carried by the mild breeze.

"Miraculous ladybug" she croaked. The destroyed building they had been in put itself back together. The man behind them stood, groaning.

"Hey, what's going on? Whoa, Ladybug, are you-" he was cut off as, without a word, grabbed Ladybug and took off running, vaulting into the sky. He wasn't sure where to take her. He couldn't take her to a hospital. Her transformation was going to run out, and there would be press everywhere if he took her there. He only had one option. He climbed up the wall of the Agreste Manor and into his room, praying no one saw him. At night, he was practically invisible, but Ladybug's red would stick out like a sore thumb. He finally clambered into his dark room. Of course though, it wasn't dark for him.

"Claws in" he whispered and felt Plagg disappear from him. Instantly, the kawami launched himself at Adrien, hitting him as hard as he could.

"Oww, Plagg, stop!" he cried. He finally made his way to the light switch and flicked it on. Plagg was floating over Ladybugs body, clearly upset. Adrien slowly walked over, gently picking her up and placing her on the bed. Plagg followed, slightly subdued.

"This is your fault" he hissed, glowing a light green.

"How is this my fault?" Adrien asked, defensive.

"You could have stopped this! You could have changed how your hand was facing! You could have just charged the guy instead of jumping! There were so many things you could've done to prevent thi-" he was cut off mid-rant by a beeping and a flash of red. Plagg watched anxiously while Adrien averted his gaze.

"Tikki!" he heard Plagg gasp.

"Plagg, I'm sorry..." he heard a faint voice sigh.

"No Tikki, you didn't do anything. It was his fault" Plagg growled. Adrien rolled his eyes.

"So you're Chat" he heard 'Tikki' say. Adrien turned so that he could see her but not whoever was lying on his bed. Tikki was adorable. Adrien barely held down a 'squee' at her.

"Hello. I'm Adrien Agre-"

"She knows who you are, dumbass" Plagg growled. Tikki pouted at him and he huffed, turning away and folding his arms.

"I'm Tikki. The Kawami of the Ladybug" she said gently. Adrien nodded. "Please help her" she added at the end.

"She doesn't want me to know-"

"Adrien, she needs you right now. Trust me. I've done everything I could, and she'll be confused when she wakes"

Adrien nodded and sighed. He slowly turned and gasped, staring open mouthed. He looked back at Tikki, who laughed lightly.

"M-Marinette? Marinette is Ladybug?" he asked slowly. He heard Plagg snort but chose to ignore him. Adrien leaned down next to the bed and gently ran a thumb across her cheek.

"Tikki" he asked gently after a few minutes. Tikki weakly floated forward. "What happened? What did you do? What did _I_ do?"

Tikki sighed, plopping down on the bed between Marinette's arm and her hip. "Cataclysm destroys everything it touches. That doesn't change when it touches a body"

"But then wh-" he was cut off by Tikki holding up a small paw.

"Because Plagg and I have a little bit of each other in ourselves. So when his power was used on me, I had a very small amount of control over it. I couldn't get rid of it, but I could change where it went. If it had gone into her body, she would've died. So I changed its nature. Instead, it went into her..." Tikki stopped, looking up at Marinette's face sadly.

"Her?" Both Adrien and Plagg, who had started listening asked. Tikki just looked at Plagg sadly. Plagg gasped, holding both paws to his mouth.

"Tikki, no! You didn't!"

"It was all I could do, Plagg! It was the only way I could save her life!" Tikki burst into tears. Plagg zipped forward to hug her tightly.

"What happened!?" Adrien asked, still lost. Tikki looked at him through blurry eyes.

"I redirected Cataclysm to her mind" she sputtered out. Adrien's mouth dropped open and he sat down on the floor, leaning back, staring blankly forward.

For a few minutes, the only sounds in the room was Tikki's crying and Plaggs whispers.

A small mutter broke the silence. Tikki and Plagg both looked at him, thinking he had said something. Adrien stared right back.

Another murmur broke the silence. Adrien shot off the floor and leaned over his bed, watching Marinette's eyelids flutter. Tikki floated over and rested gently on her forehead, pressing her own against Marinette's. She muttered gently and glowed a soft pink. Marinette's eyes slowly opened. They focused slowly on Tikki, who watched her tensely.

"Tikki?" she asked. Tikki let out a breath and smiled widely, nodding. Tears of joy formed in her eyes.

"Yes Marinette, it's me! It's me, Tikki" she shuddered out, relieved. Marinette smiled and moved a sluggish arm to slowly stroke Tikki's head. Finally, her eyes focused on the room beyond. They moved about, confusion marring her features.

"Wait, Tikki. Where are we, this isn't our house..." her eyes fell on Adrien. She gasped and sat up, eyes wide. The two stared at each other for a moment before Adrien grinned. He leaned forward and enveloped her in a hug. Marinette was glowing a bright red.

"A-Adrien, I-I can explain! T-this is my...cat. Tikki, she um-"

"He knows, Mari" Tikki said gently, nuzzling Marinette's cheek affectionately.

"What!?" Marinette cried. That's when she noticed Plagg floating behind Adrien. He floated forward to Tikki.

"Marinette, this is Plagg. Chat's Kawami" Tikki introduced him. Plagg bowed lightly.

"Wait, why is Chat's Kawami here..." her muddy mind slowly began to make connections. She blinked at Adrien.

"You're Chat?" she asked. Adrien just nodded.

"Oh gods" Marinette murmured and hung her head forward in her hands.

"I-I'm sorry" Adrien said, confused by her reaction. "Are you...disappointed?" he asked, blushing lightly.

"What!? Oh, no! Of course not! It's just that I-I, urm, I-"

"Have a huge crush on you?" Tikki finished. Marinette paled before going beet red and glaring at Tikki, who giggled. Adrien laughed.

Marinette blushed, placing her head in her hands. Adrien carefully pulled her hands away and just smiled. She smiled back.

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A/N: There's more going on here, trust me. It'll start to happen next chapter. So I have a question; I've been considering writing something original. I've also been looking at small, local publishing companies. Do you guys think I can do it? This isn't my best work, but, well, I don't know. Just let me know what you guys think in the comments. Thanks guys :)


	2. Chapter 2 (To Snowbazzz read the AN!

Marinette sat up, a cold sweat dripping down her face. She shivered slightly, swinging her legs over the side of her bed and grabbing her blanket, holding it close. She glanced over to her nightstand, alarmed to see Tikki missing.

"Tikki? Tikki!?" she hissed, glancing around in the dark. Not spotting the glowing spot of red, she stood and wandered down to her window, opening it and breathing the cool air.

Hello.

Marinette took a step back, head whipping around. She poked her head back out the window, staring down. A black shadow clung to the wall, hanging by a silver pole.

"C-Chat?" she asked, moving back and allowing him to climb through the window.

"Have you seen Tikki?" she asked frantically. He laughed and nodded, opening a pocket on his suit and allowing Tikki to fly out. Marinette clutched her to her face, nuzzling her tightly.

"Tikki, where did you go!? I was so worried!" she scolded. Tikki lowered her head.

"I'm sorry, Marinette."

"It's okay, just don't disappear on me like that again"

"I won't"

Marinette sighed, closing her eyes. She jumped back suddenly as she remembered everything. It all came back to her in bursts.

Akuma. Cataclysm. Tikki. Plagg. Chat. Adrien. Nightmares. Crazy. Crazy. Crazy.

The last word spun around in her head. Was she going crazy? Was she going to go crazy? They weren't sure. She heard Chat release his transformation and Adrien stood before her. She knew that Adrien was Chat, that Chat was Adrien, but seeing it was still mind boggling. She took a step back and watched in silence as the two kwami's embraced, their glows, red and green respectively, casting shadows in the dim light. She looked up and her eyes widened as she noticed Adrien watching her, face half illuminated in green and half swimming in darkness.

She blushed slightly when he didn't look away, green eyes boring into her own. She hoped Tikkis red glow was enough to hide the glow of her own. She glanced down at her sarpet, self consciously tugging on her shorts to ry and hide the scratch marks she had left on her thighs while she slept. She had always done that when she had nightmares, which hadn't been in a long, long time. She glanced up when she heard Adrien take a step forward. She staggered backwards but he grabbed her hands, holding tight. He sank to his knees, pressing the top of his head into her stomach and gently running his thumbs over the bright pink lines.

"I-I...I did this." he muttered, voice bitter and lacking the normal joy and laughter. Eyes widening, she realized what he was talking about. She wrapped her arms around his head and craned over him slightly, holding him tightly. She shuddered lightly. Her entire body was screaming at her to respond.

No, it wasn't! It was an accident! You didn't mean it! If anything, it was my fault! I should've gotten out of the way! I failed you. I'm sorry.

The words all reamined inside though, swimming in her head. She wanted so desperately to reassure him, and yet...she couldn't. Her jaw remained clenched. So, they just stayed like that, holding eachother in the darkness as they both released the tears they had held in for too long.

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A/N: Short chapter. Sorry! I've been having a lot of trouble writing lately. Anyways, I hope this wasn't too bad. More to come soon, hopefully. Also, to Snowbazzzz, if you're reading this, I really loved your request and tried to write it, but I hated the outcome. It was a great idea, but just poorly executed. I've been posting and taking down a lot of stories latelly. I feel like everything I write sucks. Sorry. :/


	3. Chapter 3

Marinette carefully pulled her backpack around her shoulders and adjusted it before looking at herself in the mirror. That's when she noticed it. It was a small change, but an obvious one. The iris of her left eye was slightly darker than it had been. Instead of its usual blue-bell, it had turned into more of an indigo color. Marinette gaped at it and leaned forward to examine it more closely before groaning.

"Marinette, are you alright?" came Tikki's soft voice from behind. Marinette hastily covered her eye with her hair before turning.

"Y-yes! I'm fine! Are you ready? Let's go" she grabbed her small pink purse and held it open for Tikki, who hesitated for a second before zipping in. Marinette sighed and adjusted her hair one last time before heading down the stairs.

When she arrived at school, she made her way straight to the classroom, taking her seat and pulling out her phone and ear buds. She glanced at the clock on the wall and took note of the time. She had about 15 minutes before school officially started, so she stuck her headphones in and turned up her music, closing her eyes and leaning back. She didn't even hear when the teacher came in and said a small greeting. A few minutes into the song, she heard something that shouldn't belong. A small whine, almost like an animal. Marinette's eyes shot open as she listened intently. Nothing out of the ordinary reached her ears. She let out a breath and lied her head back down, eyes closing again. She must've just imagined it. The next time it happened, she chose to ignore it. And the next, and the next. All the way until she felt a tap on her shoulder. Without thinking, all of her training kicked in and her leg shot out, causing Adrien to gasp and fall backwards. Marinette was up in a flash, tearing out her headphones and tossing them on the table. She hurriedly helped Adrien up, apologizing profusely. Adrien just laughed, rubbing the back of his head.

"It's fine, It was my fault. I don't know how I didn't see it sooner, I would recognize those kicks anywhere" he said, laughing again. Marinette blushed slightly, scanning the room. The teacher wasn't in there. Thank god. She would've definitely gotten in trouble for attacking another student. They stood for a moment in silence, staring at their hands. Finally, Adrien muttered out a small "I'm sorry"

Marinette sighed and closed her eyes, leaning forward slightly.

"I know. It... it was-sn't your... your fault..." she said the last part with difficulty as though her body itself didn't want to say it. Adrien carefully looped an arm around her waist and tugged her slightly forward, until her head rested on his chest. She took a deep breath, trying to hold in her feelings. If she let them out now, she wouldn't be able to stop them for hours. Adrien tightened his grip on her waist, trying to keep his own emotions in check. He couldn't let them out, not now. The five minute bell rang, startling both of them. Marinette lightly pushed away and sat back down without looking at him. Adrien did the same, making his way to his desk, while the while ignoring the pain in his leg. He knew he had a bruise, but didn't care. They sat in silence, watching as students filed into the room. Marinette smiled when Alya walked in. Alya smiled back, but instantly pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. She slid in next to Marinette and grabbed the collar of her shirt, yanking it down slightly. Marinette shrieked and Adrien and Nino whipped around.

"A-Alya stop!"

"What the hell, Mari! What are these?" she demanded, pointing at the tips of the three long scars that stretched from her collarbones to her mid-waist. Adrien shivered at seeing them, hair standing up. Marinette was glowing a bright crimson and swatted Alya's hand away before adjusting her shirt.

"I-It was cha- a dog. I was walking home at night and a dog attacked me. It's fine though, they're not as deep as they look..." she trailed, fingers absentmindedly probing the bumpy flesh.

"Girl! Why didn't you tell me! Please tell me that you got it checked out by a doctor! Did you file a report?"

Marinette nodded. "Yes, I got it checked out. It's fine. No infection or anything. And I filed a report, but they never found the dog. They think it was a stray"

Alya leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Marinette.

"I'm sorry. That's awful. But I'm glad you're okay. Hopefully that dog wasn't sick or anything. We wouldn't want you going crazy or anything!"

Both Marinette and Adrien cringed at that word.

"N-no, I guess not" Marinette let out a nervous laugh. They all then turned to the front as the teacher began taking roll call.

 **A/N: sorry for the long break! Working on the next chapter now. School has been... school. AP classes suck. People suck. But I'm on winter break, and hopefully I can get more chapters out soon. Thanks for bearing with me guys. Love you all.**


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